Country profilesCameroon

Humanitarian profile

The republic in west-central Africa was formed when French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961. It has been largely stable, with the president and his ruling party in power since 1982 and looking set to remain there. The economy has grown steadily, but at a rate far below what is needed to raise the living standards of a rapidly growing population. Large numbers of Cameroonians live in poverty as subsistence farmers. Internally, there are tensions over the two mainly English-speaking southern provinces. The Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC), a secessionist movement, emerged in the 1990s but has been declared illegal.

Country snapshot

Cameroon has made little political and economic progress in the past thirty years.  The president and his ruling party have been continuously in power since 1982 and look set to remain so, with elections routinely deemed fraudulent by international observers. The economy has grown steadily, but at a rate far below what is needed raise the living standards of a rapidly growing population.

Government

The president is the head of state and elected by popular vote for a seven-year term. The prime minister is the head of the government and appointed by the president. The president also appoints and can dismiss cabinet members, judges, generals, regional governors and the heads of state-controlled firms.  The single chamber legislature, the National Assembly, has 180 members who are elected by popular vote for five-year terms.  The president is not required to consult the legislature and can alter the length of its term. Since 1992 the executive has initiated every bill passed by the legislature. The 1996 constitution provides for an upper legislative chamber and a constitutional court but neither have been established. The Supreme Court may review the constitutionality of a law only at the request of the president. 

Economy

Some 70 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture, mostly to provide for their own domestic needs. Cash crops include coffee, cocoa, sugar bananas, oil palms, cotton and tea. There is a small fishing industry and the rainforest in the south has large timber reserves.  Reliance on agricultural exports makes the country vulnerable to changes in world prices. The oil industry, though small in international terms, is a substantial part of the economy and provides a quarter of government revenue. Production has slowly declined from the late 1990s to under 100,000 barrels per day.  Hydro-electric plants provide much of the country’s electricity, but many areas are without reliable power supplies. Since 1990 there have been various International Monetary Fund and World Bank programmes designed to increase efficiency in agriculture, raise business investment and improve trade. But the climate for business investment has remained unfavourable and per capita income has stagnated.  Since 2000 some major state-owned companies have been privatised, while others, like the national airline, have failed to attract private investors.  The regional currency, the CFA franc, is pegged to the euro. 

History

Much of what is now northern Cameroon was subjugated by the Fulani, an Islamic people from the western Sahel, in the late eighteenth century. Until the 1870s, when large supplies of quinine became available, malaria restricted the presence of Europeans to coastal areas. Cameroon was colonised in the late nineteenth century by Germany and administered by France and Britain after World War I.  French Cameroon became independent in 1960 and joined with Anglophone Cameroon to become a single state in 1961.

The first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, oversaw a one-party state until his resignation in 1982.  He was succeeded by his prime minister, Paul Biya, who has won every election since then and whose Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) holds a sizeable majority in the legislature.

Elections are routinely condemned as fraudulent by international observers. A constitutional amendment in 1996 extended the presidential term from five to seven years, while another in 2008 removed the two-term limit.  A strike by taxi drivers in Douala in 2008 sparked riots in several cities by people angered by the removal of the term limit and increases in the cost of living.  About 100 people were killed in clashes with the police.  In 2009 the prime minister and defence minister were replaced after a corruption scandal linked to the purchase of a presidential aircraft in 2004.  

Legal snapshot

The legal system is based on the French civil law system and influenced by common law. The judiciary is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and political influence and corruption are widespread, says U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House and the U.S. State Department. Torture, the ill-treatment of detainees and lengthy pre-trial detention are routine. In the north of the country, where according to some human rights activists slavery continues, traditional rulers operate private militias, courts and prisons which are used against political opponents. Discrimination against women is widespread and they are often denied inheritance and property rights.  Homosexuality is illegal. Free speech is constitutionally guaranteed but newspapers can be banned if they are deemed a threat to public order. Libel and defamation are criminal offences.